Like It Was Only Yesterday
by StatsGrandma57
Summary: Luke and Mara's wedding. Definitely a family thing :)


LIKE IT WAS ONLY YESTERDAY

The day of Luke and Mara's wedding had arrived. Compared to Han and Leia's wedding, which had taken place at Cantham Hall, Luke and Mara chose to have theirs at the newly built Jedi temple in Coruscant, which held a far more modest crowd of 200.

After ten years of being together, Luke and Mara had one year previously announced their engagement. Leia was relieved; she'd worried that there'd be a ten year long engagement. But they'd gone ahead and planned the event to take place the following year.

It would be the first event to take place in the new Jedi temple, which was smaller than its counterpart on Yavin but beautifully styled and built. Several other temples were beginning to spring up around the galaxy; not all parents of Force sensitive children were willing to send their kids off to another planet. The only ones who didn't balk were the ones who were Force sensitive themselves. They had tended to relocate to Yavin and some were now full Jedi knights. Luke had others to help him now.

Jaina and Jacen were participants in the wedding party. Luke had asked Jacen to be one of his groomsmen, and while Jacen didn't have a lot of enthusiasm for being dressed up, it did please him that his uncle would ask him. Jaina was one of the bridesmaids, and was very happy. Leia thought she might put up a fuss when it required buying a dress, but Jaina surprised her. The eleven year old girl was showing a bit more of her feminine side and had expressed far more excitement than her brother regarding the occasion. Mara had stipulated the color she desired - which was a deep purple - but other than that, the women were permitted to choose a dress of their liking.

Han had a different role in this wedding; Luke had asked him if the band he was part of would play at the wedding. The band members readily agreed, offering to play gratis.

There was also the matter of dealing with a toddler. Leia and Han hoped Jarik would behave during the ceremony. He was walking, no, running, and comprised a one man wrecking crew.

"Mom, how do I look?" Jaina was dressed in a knee length dress of plain purple satine with silver embroidery. She had a purple ti'il flower pinned into her hair, which Leia had curled into soft waves.

"You look beautiful, honey."

Biggs, Luke's best man, had stepped outside.

"You look terrific," he told Jaina. He noticed Leia was trying to restrain Jarik. "Want me to take him for a few?"

"Chewie should be along anytime now," Leia told him. "He's just helping the boys in the band set up. How's my son the groomsman doing? Has gotten rid of the FYYFF T shirt yet?"

"Jacen's fine. So's your brother. He's not the least bit nervous."

"Luke's not a high strung person and my gods, it has been ten years. I just hope this one doesn't decide in the middle of the ceremony to have a screaming fit," Leia said, letting the little boy down but holding on to his hands. "Where's Anakin?"

"Talking to some of the padawan kids," Jaina said to her mother. A large quantity of the attendees were children. Anakin was friendly and easy going and made friends everywhere he went. The reception was not going to be boring for him.

"I'll see you from the altar," Biggs said to Leia, giving her a quick cheek kiss. "And don't worry about Jacen. I'll keep an eye on him."

"Thank you," Leia said as she dealt with her wiggly baby boy. To Jaina, she said, "Let's go see how Aunt Mara and the other bridesmaids are doing."

"Uh-uh. Not going in there. Total drama. Tionne and Iella are like so going at it. And Winter's being a bitch to me."

"How about not using the b-word," Leia said gently to her daughter. "At least not as a public service announcement."

"People say it all the time. I've heard you say it about Mon Mothma."

Leia looked around, paranoid. "You aren't supposed to hear those conversations."

"Then maybe you shouldn't have them," Jaina said.

Leia rolled her eyes. "If you're not going back in, that's fine, but you need to stay by the door and go out like you did at rehearsal last night."

Leia scanned the crowd. She knew some of the people there but it was composed of more Jedi and fewer politicians.

Great, I won't have to get drunk, and I won't have to apologize for it at work, she thought with relief.

To her added relief, Chewie joined her and scooped up Jarik, making the toddler giggle.

"How's the band doing?" Leia asked him.

{Arguing over some last minute arrangements, but that's musicians for you. They'll sound great.}

"Why am I not surprised?" The sound check earlier in the day had left Han more than a little irritable, as it had gone badly, but Leia was certain that it would come together beautifully. The band had been through terrible sound checks before with a great performance to follow.

{Let's sit down}, Chewie said to her, taking her arm with one one paw and supporting a babbling Jarik with another. As they were family, the first pew of the temple was reserved for them.

There was suddenly the sound of shouting and a loud crash. The music ceased, all eyes heading to the back of the sanctuary. The sound of two women's voices shouting, a third one chiming in, had the crowd riveted.

One of Luke's groomsmen came over to where Han and Leia were sitting. "Minister Solo, I think we need your help," he said quietly to Leia.

Leia groaned but went with him. By this time, all of the bridesmaids were in a fury, and the bride's anger was evident. Mara wasn't a person who demonstrated a lot of emotion, but it was clear she was livid, and Leia didn't blame her. It was, after all, her wedding day.

This is why I didn't pick that many attendants, she said to herself.

"Everyone, inside," Leia told them, firmly. "All of you." She eyed Jaina to let her know that she was included, and at this point, Jaina felt she'd better listen up. The two bridesmaids had been fist fighting when Leia had corraled them.

"These guys are shitfaced," Jaina said to her mother, pointing to Tionne and Iella.

Mara looked close to tears. The beautiful redhead was normally very self contained, but she didn't get married every day.

Winter glared at Jaina. She hadn't been part of the argument initially but she had an eidetic memory. She also had been somewhat unfriendly to Jaina as of late. Leia had no idea where that had come from, and she wasn't going to press it today.

Tionne and Iella had certainly imbibed plenty of intoxicants, but it was clear that some of it had spilled on to their dresses.

"I don't appreciate this," Mara said sharply to her two friends. "If I wanted drama, I'd have asked two Voxyn to stand up for me."

"I'm sorry," Tionne said, bawling now.

"And the wine you took? That was a gift," Mara went on. "That was supposed to be what Luke and I were going to toast with. It was gold wine," she said unhappily to Leia.

"It was just sitting there," Iella pointed out.

"That doesn't give you the right to drink it," Leia snapped. "Did you even think to ask Mara?"

The two women were very embarrassed now, which had been Leia's objective. "Clean yourselves up, and be ready in five minutes. I'll let Luke and the guys know." She exited irritably, not able to believe just how poorly some of the bridesmaids were acting.

The holographer returned to the sanctuary with Leia. "I can't believe this," she groused.

The holographer smiled at her. "I can. I've seen bridezillas and bridesmaid drama all over the Core Worlds more times than I can count."

Leia sat down next to Chewie. "We should be starting any time now."

{Did you manage to avoid an intragalactic civil war?}

"No, that had already happened. I was just the cleanup crew. I can hold him if you'd like."

{He's happy right now. Let's wait till he's not.}

"Good plan."

After a few minutes, the music began and as Leia had predicted, they sounded wonderful. The first piece was an instrumental Han and Lork had composed together. Leia smiled to herself.

{He's getting better}, Chewie mewled softly to her. Leia smiled. Wookiees and their hypersensitive hearing. It was the closest that she'd ever heard him praise Han's musical abilities, which had grown over the years.

The crowd had fortunately begun to quiet. There would be plenty of gossip at the reception, but incident or not, there was always gossip at receptions. At least there're very few politicians in attendance, Leia noted with some relief.

The groomsmen appeared from the side of the altar, Jacen on the end. Then Biggs came out with Luke, and Luke smiled at his sister and brother in law. He didn't seem to be the least bit perturbed by events that had transpired shortly beforehand. Leia hoped that he'd been oblivious and from the looks of it, he had been. Luke was a calmer spirit than she was. Training Jedi took tremendous amounts of patience, and Luke's impatience of his youth had been replaced by it. He was dressed in the manner of a Jedi knight for a significant occasion. His groomsmen were either in their best formalwear or military dress garb. Jacen actually smiled, to the relief of his mother.

The bridesmaids filed in, one at a time. Originally, Jaina was to go first, but she'd been moved so that she'd be right behind her maid of honor. Iella entered first, trying to smile and hide the wet spot on her dress with her bouquet of purple, gold and white flowers. Tionne was next, and she was putting her best face forward. Winter came next; her facial expression was inscrutable. Jaina followed Winter. She smiled happily. Mixar was next, lovely in the dress she'd chosen. Mixar had wisely sidestepped the altercation.

And then, there was the bride. Mara had elected to walk alone; most of her relations had died under the Empire. She was tall and dignified, her flaming hair flowing beneath a sheer veil held in place by a band of pure white flowers. She wore a pure white gown of a high quality silk. It was simple, without lace or beading, and perfect for its wearer. Her smile grew wider as she approached Luke, and the look on his face could have lit up the galaxy.

She remembered the look from the day she and Han were married. She remembered all the emotion in his face, the joy in his smile, the tenderness in his eyes.

"Family and friends, welcome to this auspicious occasion, the occasion where we bind this woman, Mara Jade, and this man, Luke Skywalker, in marriage. Marriage is a sentient construct, but one also divinely inspired by the gods. It is this mixing of the spirit and the body, of the mind and the emotions, that creates this union. The couple has demonstrated their spiritual maturity in the Force, and wish to join their lives together. Is there anyone here that has reason to believe that this union should not be made, speak now, or not at all.

Jarik woke up in that moment. The attendees chuckled, as did the attendees. Chewie motioned for Leia to sit; he would take the toddler outside.

"I'm not sure what the young man was trying to say, but we'll let it be for now," Kam said, smiling.

The Solo family. Never a dull moment, she thought to herself.

The attendees had recovered and were watching the couple expectantly.

"Have you both agreed to this union of your own free will?" Kam asked Luke and Mara.

"We have," the couple replied.

"Very well. As you have both consented to the union, speak your vows to one another." He turned to Mara first. "Do you, Mara Jade, take this man, Luke Skywalker, as your husband, in spirit and in law?

"I do." Mara gave Luke a radiant smile.

"Luke Skywalker, do you take this woman, Mara Jade, as your wife, in law and in spirit?"

"I do." Luke had never looked more in love.

"Mara, repeat after me: Luke, I promise."

"Luke, I promise."

"To care for you always, in good health and poor."

"To care for you always, in good health and poor."

"To celebrate in both plenty and want."

"To celebrate in both plenty and want."

"To embrace each other, in joy and in sorrow."

"To embrace each other, in joy and in sorrow."

"To cherish you for all the rest of my days, forsaking all others to honor you."

"To cherish you for all the rest of my days, forsaking all others to honor you."

"To be strong in the Force, to never use it for ill gain."

"To be strong in the Force, to never use it for ill gain."

He then turned to Luke, and Luke repeated the same vows. Leia had never seen her brother so happy.

"May we have the rings, please?"

Biggs handed the rings to Kam. Unlike Han and Leia, they had chosen simple bands of platina.

"As a circle represents eternity, so do these rings represent love, which has no beginning and no end." He handed Mara Luke's ring.

Mara spoke clearly and gently. "Luke, I promise to love you for all eternity, and I will be with you for all time," Mara said to him as she slid the ring on his finger.

"Mara, I promise to love you for all eternity, and I will be with you, for all time."

"A moment of silence, please," Mran requested. The peaceful quiet settled on the sanctuary as the sun sank below the horizon. Shadows of gold, pink and lavender shone into the temple.

Kam's voice broke the silence. "Please rise and give honor to Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade Skywalker." The two turned towards the audience, smiling brighter than the twin suns of Tatooine. "What the Force has joined, may it be so forever." The two kissed firmly but not pornographically. The children in the crowd laughed, and so did the bride and groom as they turned to face everyone.

Luke and Mara stepped down and happily walked up the aisle to the reception area outside, smiling and waving at everyone giving their congratulations and best wishes. The maid of honor and the best man followed, with the bridesmaids and groomsmen after that. Jacen looked relieved; Jaina was enjoying it.

Once the recessional music had ended, Han appeared, smiling.

"You guys did great," Leia told him, kissing her husband.

"We were pretty touchy there for the last couple days, but it just fell together." Han said to Leia. "How'd our kids do?"

"Jaina and Jacen performed well; Jacen even smiled. Anakin is off somewhere with at least a dozen of his newest and most intimate friends, and Chewie's got Jarik."

"I heard him start crying," Han said. "Talk about timing." He gathered Leia in his arms. "I think part of the reason everything came together was because all I could think about was our wedding day, and how amazing it was, that I was marrying you."

Chewie appeared, a babbling Jarik against his fluffy shoulder. He'd been completely combed and shampooed for the occasion and his thick fur gleamed. {I wanted you to see your brother get married}, Chewie said simply.

"And I appreciate that," Leia said, and kissed the wookie on the cheek. Han took Jarik from Chewie. No sooner than he took the child into his arms than the little one had become malodorous.

"I'll change him," Han offered.

"We still have family holos," Leia reminded him.

"My favorite part," Han said dryly. "C'mon, kiddo, let's get you publicly acceptable."

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If Mara had any feelings about the pre wedding behavior of her bridesmaids, they weren't evident in her face when Leia approached her. "I'd say welcome to the madness, but you've known for a while now," Leia said as she embraced her sister in law."

"I always considered that the best reason for joining the family," she said, laughing.

Han kissed her on the cheek. "I think your husband should have asked a lot sooner, but he finally got around to it."

"There was a little bit of that on both sides," Luke said, beaming.

"Aunt Mara, you look pretty!" Anakin, aged nine and a half, told her, his blue eyes shining.

"Thank you, Ani. I insist that we have a dance later," Mara told him.

"Okay. But I don't really know how."

"It's okay, I'm not great at it myself," Luke said to him.

"You're good enough for me," Mara assured her husband of a few minutes and kissed him.

"No, he's not," Han said, and winked at Mara.

"Let me take him," Leia said, offloading her wiggleworm toddler from Han. He had his fingers stuck in his mouth and was drooling due to teething. "You're not exactly showing your best behavior, little man," she told her son as they stepped out of the receiving line.

"I'll take him. C'mon, ankle biter," Jacen said to his youngest brother. He held Jarik's hands and helped him toddle about the garden area, which pleased his younger brother. The initial reaction to Leia's pregnancy with Jarik had been less than welcoming, but he had become something of a mascot to the three older kids. Jacen was the best of the three at handling him.

"Mom, Dad, was I great or what?" Jaina asked.

"Well, you were certainly the most steady on your feet," Leia remarked, her tone acerbic, but then smiled at her daughter. "Yes, you did well."

"And you were the prettiest girl there," Han assured her. He quickly turned to Leia. "You were the most beautiful woman there."

"Nice save, flyboy," Leia said, laughing as she put his arm around her waist. They headed over to a shade tree and began kissing.

"Do you guys always have to be so embarrassing?" Jaina called to them.

"Get back to me in a few years, and you'll understand," Leia called to her.

"Whaddya mean, get back to me in a few years? She's never getting near boys!" Han exclaimed with an alarmed expression.

Leia laughed. "That's what you think."

"I'm going to have a blaster made just for that purpose."

"C'mon, hotshot, kiss me," Leia said, and they resumed. "Besides, it's kind of fun embarrassing the kids, isn't it?"

"Indeed."

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The reception was a lively affair, and since many of the attendees were children, there were mock lightsaber battles in the garden area. (No real lightsabers for the children were permitted.) Jaina had gone out and played for a while, as had Anakin, but Jaina's interest waned. She wanted to go inside and dance with the adults.

"We had a thousand guests, and the only person I noticed was you," Han said to Leia.

"You had my full attention," Leia assured him.

"You still have mine." Han grinned at her. "Guess it's time to let the holographer do his thing." Han was not formally dressed, but he had put on his newest white shirt, leather vest, Corellian bloodstripes and his spacer boots shone brightly. Leia thought he was the most handsome man in the universe, and was even more in love with him as the years had gone by. Han's smile told her that he felt the same.

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After spending a solid twenty minutes rounding up the kids, the family holos were taken.

Han was about to tell Jacen to smile, but he was holding his baby brother and both of them were, for the moment, quite cheerful. Jaina was beaming and Anakin wanted to get done quickly because there were mock lightsaber battles to be fought.

"Gotta get back," Han said, kissing Leia. He stood back for a moment and admired her. "Y'know, I didn't think it was possible, but you're even more gorgeous than the day we married each other."

"Hold that thought," Leia said to him, winking.

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The time had come to present the couple, and once again, there was bridesmaid drama. Leia was once again summoned by Biggs.

Iella was wailing again; her boyfriend, who had been one of the guests, had broken up with her a few days prior and was not there. Tionne's young man was in the audience but was currently pissed off at her because she'd been drinking all day. The two had continued arguing from the time of the reception line.

"What do you think?" Leia asked Biggs. "Let's just present the couple and leave the wedding party out of it."

"Jaina might be unhappy about that," Biggs said. "But I'll tell you what. I'll let her give the toast. She's more eloquent than I am, anyway.

"Be prepared for her being a smartmouth."

Biggs grinned. "Wouldn't be a Solo if she wasn't. Let me ask the bride and groom." Biggs disappeared for a minute but was back shortly. "Okay, yeah, let's not do the wedding party. I told Jaina I'd help her with the toast, and Mixar's fine with it, claiming she can never figure out what to say."

"That's never been a problem for Jaina," Leia said dryly. "Appropriateness, yes. But speaking? Not at all. She talked early and hasn't shut up since."

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"Good evening, sentients," Han greeted the crowd. "It's a great night for some great food, great drinks and great music. So let's see the reason we're here. I give you Mr. and Mrs. Luke Skywalker!"

The couple entered, beaming. Not even misbehaving wedding party members could dull their joy.

"Hey, Mr. and Mrs. Skywalker, you're not done yet!" Han said through his mic. The crowd laughed. "It's time for our couple to have their first dance together. Luke, Mara, this bud's for you."

The crowd applauded, and the lights went down as the couple stepped into the spotlight. Leia recognized it as an instrumental Han had composed for her, and she was delighted to share it with her brother and his wife. It was a beautiful piece that required significant technical ability, and Leia was proud that her husband had become a most able musician. She was also pleased that Jacen had taken an interest in music; Jacen and Han didn't always have the easiest relationship, but with music, they came together and Jacen had become a decent keyboardist, a technically proficient power driven guitarist, and an excellent acoustic guitarist. They'd even gone to Nenmo's a few times together, and Han had let Jacen choose his own gear. In Leia's limited exposure to musicians, there seemed to be an attitude that playing someone else's instrument was akin to using their dental cleansers.

Tears filled Leia's eyes as she smiled at her brother, who was smiling at his bride. She remembered as clear as today the way Han had looked at her on their wedding day as they stepped on to the dance floor for the first time as husband and wife.

Everyone applauded as the couple's dance ended, the music gently drawing to a close.

"And now, we have someone who's worked on this original piece for months," Han said, smiling at the crowd. "I'd like to present this from my son, Jacen Solo, as his gift to the couple."

Leia's mouth hung open. She knew Jacen and Han loved making music together, but she hadn't had the slightest inkling that Jacen was now composing.

Jacen blushed as his father introduced him, but smiled as he put his acoustic guitar over his shoulder and adjusted his mic to pick up the most sound. Han whispered something to him, probably words of encouragement.

"This is for my uncle Luke and my aunt Mara," Jacen said simply, not looking up.

Jacen smiled nervously and then turned his attention to the task at hand. It was a simple piece but an emotional one. She didn't hear them practice much; there were recreation areas in the underground levels of their complex, where people were free to carry on as loudly as possible.

"Damn, he's good," Jaina said to her mother. Even Jarik sat quietly on his sister's lap for the duration of the piece. The crowd applauded at the end and Jacen smiled and left the bandstand to join his mother, twin sister, baby brother and Chewie. They'd long ago given up trying to keep up with Anakin; he was off with a whole group of kids near his age.

"That was a beautiful composition and performance," Leia whispered to Jacen, who blushed, but was obviously pleased.

"You are good," Jaina said admiringly. That really affected Jacen; she was always in the lead when it came to academic or mechanical tasks. But Jacen was clearly excelling on the artistic side of things, and it did wonders for his ego to be able to display it.

"I made a couple mistakes but Dad showed me how you do a work around," Jacen said to Jaina.

"I didn't notice any mistakes," Jaina said to him. "But, can you dance?"

"One thing at a time," Leia said to her daughter, but wtih a smile.

"Because first wall dance, you better get your butt out there," Jaina told her brother, grinning.

It was dinner time, and in consideration of the number of kids in attendance, they were instructed to line up first. There were stations for meat, vegetables, cheeses, pasta, fruits, seafood and breads.

"Let's eat," Jaina said to her twin. "I'm famished."

Jacen agreed that it was a good idea. "He's all yours, Mom," Jacen said, handing Jarik back to their mother.

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The band went on break. Han rushed over to Leia and kissed her. "I promise that we'll get one dance together. But right now, I have something else in mind." One look at him told Leia exactly what was on his mind.

"How long are you on break for?" Leia's tone was playful.

"20 minutes. Where're the kids?"

"Chewie, Jaina and Jacen are taking turns holding the baby. It's anyone's guess where any of them are right now."

"Hmm."

"You'd better get something to eat. We've got a lot of hungry kids at this wedding."

Han kissed her again. "You know what? I've got a better idea."

Leia recognized that look. "Let me guess. You want to go straight to dessert."

"And I know just the place for it." Han took her hand and led her away.

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"You are such a bad boy," Leia gasped as Han worked her dress off. She was attempting to get him into a similar state of undress. Quckies weren't really their style, but it was all there was time for.

"You have no idea...how much I wanted to do this at our wedding reception," Han rasped, covering her neck and breasts with kisses.

"Actually, I had a pretty good idea - oh!" Leia let out a cry of pleasure. Then another, and another. "Your turn, flyboy." She dropped to her knees and took his cock in her mouth.

"Leia, oh my gods, you're incredible," Han breathed. Leia would stop at intervals, to keep Han going as long as she could. Clothes continued to fall off and hands traveled everywhere on each others' bodies. Sweat slicked skin pressed together, compressing an entire night of lovemaking into a few minutes' time, they moaned each others' names as they kissed fiercely.

"I love you," Leia breathed hard as she and Han dropped to the floor, Leia on top of him and sliding down, her wetness surrounding his hardness. "I love you Han." She was trying to keep her cries of pleasure muted, although she wasn't entirely successful. Han finally succumbed to a huge wave of pleasure racing through him like a lightning bolt, with the thunder following close behind. He and Leia clung to each other as their breathing and heartbeats slowed.

"Didn't want you to think I'd forgotten you while I was playing," Han said, grinning wickedly before giving his wife one more passionate kiss.

"It's fun watching you work out up there. You're really a good musician, Han. And an even better lover." Her wicked smile matched his.

The two leaned against each other. "Well, I guess we'd better get decent," Han said to Leia. "But we can make up for it later tonight."

The two were putting on their clothes again when they heard the voice of Mirax calling out.

"Leia? Leia, are you around here? I need your help," Mirax called out.

"Give me two minutes," Leia said, irritation in her voice. "What's the problem?"

"Tionne and Iella and now Winter's gotten into it."

Leia gave Han a quick kiss. "I really prefer being a diplomat when I'm getting paid for it."

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"Now what is it?" Leia said to Mirax, unable to keep the aggravation out of her voice.

"Winter's husband asked Iella to dance, and Winter went nova."

"What else?"

"Biggs asked Iella to dance. Tionne's boyfriend left because he said she was embarrassing him."

"She's embarrassing all of us."

"Now Tionne's screaming because she can't find her wallet and thinks one of stole it."

"Have Tionne and Iella slowed down on the booze yet?"

"Not that I'm aware of. I've been trying to control them and keep their crap away from Mara, but right now they're all screaming at me. Corran's outside, trying to keep away from it all." Corran was Mirax's fiance. "You can be sure that none of them will be in my wedding party and at this point, they won't even be invited as guests. I can't believe how thoughtless they are."

"I'll talk to them," Leia said. "Go back and enjoy the reception. Mara deserves that. Where are they?"

"In the salon where we got dressed."

Leia stomped towards the dressing salon and entered without knocking.

"All of you, enough!" Leia shouted, her voicy commanding and cold.

"This is private!" Winter snapped back. Winter was not usually like this and Leia was surprised that Tycho had angered her to this point.

"It's not private when you're trying to ruin the new couples' day. Winter, I very much doubt that Tycho had anything in mind other than offering a dance."

"He offered it to her because he thinks she's attractive," Winter hissed.

"There are a lot of attractive women here, and maybe, just maybe, he was trying to be nice to her," Leia informed her. "Tionne, your behavior has been no better. It's time for all three of you to leave, and I mean right now, after you apologize to the bride." They were not terribly young, and they were acting like overprivileged schoolgirls. Leia was surprised that of the bridesmaids, Jaina was the only one who'd managed to behave in a relatively adult fashion.

"Someone stole my wallet! How'm I supposed to leave?" Iella demanded, sobbing.

"You put it in the same place we were told to leave our things," Winter said icily to her.

"It's been moved, then!"

"I didn't steal it from you!" Winter shot back.

"Neither did I!" Tionne said angrily.

"Find it yourself. And the three of you are gone in ten minutes or I call the guards working security." Leia stomped out of the room.

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Leia was on her way back to the table, where Chewie, Jaina, Jacen and Jarik were sitting. "What happened?" Jaina asked.

"Three adults who can't behave better than Jarik," Leia said to her daughter. "They're leaving. That's all the damage control I can do for now."

Luke came over to her. "Hey sis, I haven't gotten a dance with you yet," he said, smiling.

"I gladly accept," Leia said, extending her hand. She welcomed the distraction from the other distractions.

"Thanks for dealing with the bridesmaids," Luke said to her.

"I didn't do anything other than kick them out. I can't believe they'd be so thoughtless as to ruin Mara's and your day."

"Oh, they're not ruining our day," Luke assured her. "But if they expect Mara to associate with them again, I'd say that's in the realm of highly unlikely." Luke glanced over. "Looks like Biggs has found someone he's interested in."

Biggs was dancing with a pretty, dark haired young woman, and it was obvious that they were enjoying the evening.

"He's danced most of the dances with her."

"Well, it may not be love, but at least they know how to have a fine evening of it."

"Anakin and the padawans were dancing the last wall dance. I think he's found some new friends."

"Anakin finds friends everywhere. He'd walk into a room full of enemies and act as if they were his new best friends."

"Maybe he should start his training."

"My answer is the same as always. He is, after all, not even ten yet."

"Han's band is great. Lork asked us what we liked, we told him, and then he ran other stuff by us and we thought most of it was great. And Jacen's quite the guitarist and composer. Mara and I weren't expecting that, and we were very moved by it."

"Music is a good outlet for him. He's far more shy than Jaina."

Luke threw his head back and laughed. "Jaina and shy never belong in the same sentence."

"It's also his best connection to Han. He's not interested in flying, or mechanics, or any of the other things Han shares with Jaina, and I'm glad they found something they can enjoy together."

"I loved Jaina's toast." She had said, finally, my uncle Luke and aunt Mara did it. Be happy. "Direct and to the point."

"That's Jaina. Takes after her father that way."

"Not just her father." Luke smiled at her. "She's got a lot of you in her, too."

Leia laughed. "She's eleven, so we get into it sometimes, but I love her so much. She's my only daughter, and she's a great person."

"She's got great parents."

"Thanks. Sometimes I wonder what kind of job I'm doing."

"You've got great kids. You know Mara and I love them."

"Are you considering having any?"

"We haven't decided yet."

Leia smiled at him as the dance ended. She gave Luke a hug. "The Force will be with you," Leia said to him as she returned to her seat.

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Han stepped down from the bandstand and walked over towards Leia. "I promised you one dance," he said to her, taking her hand.

To her surprise, his slot had again been taken by Jacen.

"He wrote another song?" Leia asked.

"No, I did." Han smiled at her. "Got some help from Lork, but the basic structure is mine."

Leia turned her chin up to kiss her husband. "Remember the first time we danced?" she asked him.

"At the Yavin ceremony? I couldn't forget it if I wanted to. And I don't." Han pulled her in closer.

"I hope my dancing's improved since then," Leia laughed. "Honestly, I had two left feet."

"You only stepped on my boots twice. And considering how toasted I was, you're lucky I didn't step on yours." Both laughed, savoring the memory. "But I have a confession to make."

"Oh?"

"I knew that the moment you accepted my invite to dance, that you were the woman I wanted to marry."

"I never knew that."

"I was going to make you mine if it killed me."

"It almost did a few times." Both laughed; time had softened some of the harsher memories and left sweet ones in place.

"You're not the only one who remembers when they fell in love," Leia reminded him impishly.

"Oh? And when was that?"

"It was on Ord Mandell, on our way to Hoth. I knew you were leaving and it made me heartsick to think about it."

"I kind of thought something was going on there."

"There was. I didn't even want to admit it to myself. But then we escaped to Bespin, and the time we were on the _Falcon_, I knew there was no escape for me. Well, not from you, anyway."

"Thos days seem like so long ago, and like they just happened yesterday," Han said to her.

"I know the feeling." The two leaned into each other, and when the dance was over, the two kissed passionately. They'd long left the place where they worried about what other people thought.

As Han always said, fuck 'em if they can't take a joke.

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"Best wishes to the bride and groom, and to everyone else, may the Force be with you!" Lork Mela, the bandleader told everyone. The piece was entitled 'Our Lives' and Han, not Lork, was doing the lead vocals. It was both a wistful and hopeful song, with the reminder that time is fleeting and to embrace the present fully.

Leia rounded up her family. Anakin was exhausted from hours of play. Jaina even claimed to be tired, which in and of itself was unusual for her. Jarik was asleep on Leia's shoulder. Chewie, Jacen and Han were doing the load out with the band and would be done shortly.

"Thanks for everything," Mara said, embracing Leia. "It could have been a disaster with my so called friends.

"All I did was throw them out."

"I appreciate that. It didn't ruin my day, but I think it'll be a while before any of them hear from me again. And in the end, he's the only one that matters." She kissed Luke, and the ecstasy in both of their faces shone like the stars in the mountains of Coruscant.

"Thanks, Leia." Luke gave her a fraternal kiss on the cheek. "It's been the best day of my life."

"So far," Mara added.

"May you know joy in the ones to come," Leia said simply.

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The only hardship of getting the kids to bed was physically moving them along. They were all asleep as they hit their pillows.

Leia and Han snuggled on the sofa. "Standing on permacrete makes my knees feel old," Han remarked.

Leia snuggled into him. "Try it in heels sometime," she laughed.

Han draped his arm over her. "So your brother finally did it."

"I was starting to wonder what was taking them so long. About seven years ago." The two laughed.

"At least it didn't take another ten to get the wedding together."

"It was a nice wedding. Kids had a great time. I had a great time."

"I'm pretty sure the bridesmaids didn't, save for Jaina."

"The Screaming Green Nebula was great. Jacen really needs to be encouraged to keep at music," Leia said to Han.

"Lork would have him join the band, but he's way too young for that," Han laughed. "Maybe he'll find some kids in school who'd be interested."

"And then there was your dinner break," Leia added mischievously. Both chuckled.

"Want to continue?" Han winked at her rakishly.

"I don't see why not. Just because it's not our wedding night doesn't mean we can't keep celebrating."

"Our wedding night," Han said, helping Leia to her feet. "It wasn't all that long ago, was it?"

"A million years ago, and like it was yesterday."


End file.
